Fountain pen



Jan. 5, 1932. u w 1,839,817-

FOUNTAIN PEN Filed July 23, 1926 INVENTOR Patented Jan. 5, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE THEODORE D. WALKER, F BAYSIDE, NEW YORK roum'am rim Application filed July as, 1926. Serial No. 124,501.

it is to be understood that the invention is applicable to other devices, the utility and convenience of which will be considerably increased by the em loyment of the invention in connection wlth them.

Hitherto it has been customary to provide fountain pens with a cap, which is slipped over the writing end of the chirographical implement, in order that the pen may be carried in a pocket or a ladys purse without injury to the nibs of the pen roper. Serving this useful purpose during t e period of nonuse of the pen, the removal of the usual cap at once raises the question of what to do with it while the pen user is engaged in writing.

The manufacturers of fountain pens adopted the simple expedient of shaping the reverse 1 end of the pen barrel so as to permit the removed cap to be slipped over it and frictionally retained thereon. It is a purpose of the present invention to provide a protective closure for the pen end of the fountain pen, which closure does not require the detachment of a cap, which frequently is laid upon a desk, from which, in many instances, it is accidently brushed to' become lost, and sometimes broken.

7 A further advantage of my improved closure is that it avoids the necessity of -slipping a cap over the permanently closed end of the pen, when the latter is in use, thereby eliminating the bunchy eifect on the pen barrel, which so commonly produces a sense of annoyance to the pen user.

Ease of conversion from a non-use to a ready-for-use condition of the fountain pen, and vice versa, furnishes a high degree of con- 7 venience, and is so easily efi'ected that, where occasion makes it desirable, the change may be accomplished by manipulation of the closure withone hand, leaving the other free for a different use, if this be desirable. Other features and advantages appearing hereinafter are, of course, to be understood as coming within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

In the drawings, Fi 1 shows the improved fountain pen in close condition;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the fountain pen ready for use;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view artially in section, showing the elements of t e closure hous- 111%?116 pen; and I 1g. 4 is a section taken on the line of fieferring now to the drawings 1 indicates the barrel of the fountain pen which may be of any approved form except for its'formation near its pen bearing end. Toward this end there is a threaded portion 2 of slightly less diameter than the adjacent plain portion of the barrel 1. Extending beyond the threaded portion 2 the barrel is of considerably reduced diameter forming a neck 3. The ma or portion of the neck 3 is cylindrical, but toward its outer end has inwardly and then outwardly curving formation, as at 4, this portion terminating in a mouth 5 inserted in which is the usual pen 6 and ink feeding means 7 Screwed onto the threaded portion 2 of the barrel of the fountain pen is a cap housing 8, which has a threaded portion engaging the portion 2 of the barrel and an otherwise substantially smooth bore'forming a chamber 9, there being an inwardly directed annular flange 10 at the outer end of the cap housing Surrounding the cylindrical portion 3 of the neck of the barrel is the inner end 11 of a slidable sleeve generally designated 12. The portion 11 of the slidable sleeve is in the nature of a complete band having an outwardly directed flange 13 at its inner end. The slidable sleeve 12 further 7 spring loop 18 encircling the slidable sleeve I wardly directed flange 13 of the slidable sleeve 12 engages the inwardly directed flange 10 of the cap housing 8, when the slidable sleeve is in its closed position. At such times the pen is in its out-of-use condition and may be carried in the pocket in the usual way, and if desired, with the aid of a spring clip 19 fastened to the cap housing 8 in the usual manner.

It being desired to use the fountain pen, the barrel 1 is grasped in a convenient manner so that two or more of the smaller fingers will encircle the barrel in a gripping fashion, leaving the fore finger and thumb free to reach forward and grasp the slidable sleeve 12 at some convenient point. This may well be the protuberance formed by the spring seats 17 and the spring 18, so that an inward drawing of the thumb and fore finger retracts the slidable sleeve 12 until it IS in the position indicated in Fig. 2. As this action transpires, the annular flange 13 of the sleeve 12 travels inwardly through the chamber 9 between the cap housing 8 and the neck 3 of the fountain pen. Full withdrawal of the sleeve 12 will bring the annular flange 13 thereof into contact with the shoulder formed at the outer end of the threaded portion 2 of the pen barrel. The

slidable sleeve 12 is composed of material which is sufliciently hard to possess all the qualities of a protective shell, but possesses a suflicient degree of flexibility to permit such deformation of each of the petals or sections 14 to conform it substantially in the cylindrical form of the neck 3 of the pen barrel. Thus the petals 14 open and straighten to whatever degree is necessary as the sleeve 12 is slid to expose the pen 6, as shown in Fig. 2. In its open position, the slidable sleeve 12 is acted upon by stresses due to the flexible property of material of which it is formed and the restricting action of the exterior of the neck 3 and the wall defining the inner diameter of the flange 10 of the cap housing 8, as well as the bearing of the petals 14 against the mouth edge of the open end of the barrel 1 under the influence of the spring loop 18. accordingly under snflicient stress to cause it to remain in its open position without further attention. The outer end of the curved portion 4 is preferably plurally notched at 20 adjacent to the mouth 5, whereby the tips of the petal sections 14 are so received in the notches when the sleeve 12 is retracted,

that a smooth contour is preserved. When the slidable sleeve 12 is in itspen-closing position, its inherent spring quality seeks to 'close the petals 14, .and is further assisted so doing by the spring loop 18.

The slidable sleeve 12 is While the invention has been described as being applied to a fountain pen, it will be readily appreciated that there are numerous other delicate instruments which have working edges that it is desirable to protect, or to be protected from, when such other implement is-out of use. In many of such cases the delicate or dangerous element may be protected substantially in the same manner as the pen proper illustrated in the drawings,

and it is, therefore, to be understood that my invention is applicable in all instances where such a closure is suitable.

. I claim:

1. An implement having a main body portion, an element for work performance projecting therefrom, and a closure adapted to house or expose said element reversely movable longitudinally of said body portion and comprising a tubular portion and normally closed separation resisting petal-like sections integral with said tubular portion, said petallike sections being adapted to flex transversely of said body portion as the closure is moved longitudmally thereof.

2. An implementhaving a main body portion, an element for work performance projecting therefrom, and a closure adapted to house or expose said element reversely movable longitudinally of said body portion and comprising a tubular portion and normally closed separation resisting petal-like sections having mutually related ends integral with said tubular portion and free ends movable transversely of said body portion into and out of intimate correlation-by the longitudinal movement of the closure, and elastic means correlated only with said free ends and additionally influencing said sections toward their closed position.

3. In a fountain pen, a barrel, a pen projecting therefrom, and a closure slidable longitudinally of said barrel comprising a tubular portion and normally intimately correlated separation resisting flexible sections integral with said tubular portion and movable transversely of said barrel as the closure is moved longitudinally thereof to house or expose said pen. 4. In a fountain pen, a barrel, a pen pro- JGCillIlg therefrom, a closure slidable longitudinally of said barrel comprising a tubular upon certain longitudinal movement of the closure. 1

5. In a fountain pen, a. barrel, a pen proecting therefrom, a closure slidable lon tudinally of said barrel, stops limiting t e movement of said closure, said closure comprising a plurality of normally intimately correlated flexible sections and a displaceable barrel-engaging portion integral with and joining said sections at one end, said sec-- tions mutually'fitting and housing said pen when said closure .is moved in one directlon 6 and withdrawing and being deflected from said pen upon movement of the closure in another direction.

6. In a fountain pen, a barrel, a pen projecting from an end thereof, and a closure 10 comprising a portion retentively and slidably engaged with a portion of said-barrel and normally intimately correlated flexible sec tions integral with and extendin from said portion and shaped to mutually t and form a closed housing shell around said pen and the adjoining end of said barrel, movement of said closure longitudinally of said barrel in one direction housing said pen and in the opposite direction exposing the same andflexing said sections.

7. In a fountain pen, a barrel, a. pen projecting from an end thereof, a closure comprising a portion retentively and slidably. engaged with a portion of said barrel and tions integral with and extendin from said portion and shaped to mutually t and form a closed housing shell around said pen and the adjoining end of saidbarrel, movement of said closure longitudinally of said barrel in one direction housing said pen and in the opposite direction exposing the same and flexing said sections, and constricting means additionally urging said flexible sections toward mutual intimate relation as they approach a pen-housing position.

. 8. In a fountain 'pen, a barrel having an externally threaded portion and a neck portion of less diameter projecting therebeyond, a pen projecting from said neck portion, a shell screwed onto said threaded portion and forming a chamber between itself and said neck portion, and a closure telescopically mounted between said neck portion and shell to slide toward opposite ends of said chamber, said closure comprising flexible sections shaped to form a closed housing for said pen and to bend and slide toward one end of said chamber to uncover said pen. 9. In a fountain pen, abarrel having an externally threaded portion anda neck portion of less diameter projecting therebeyond, a pen projecting from said neck portion, a shell screwed onto said threaded portion and forming a chamber between itself and said neck portion, and a closure telescopically mounted between said neck portion and shell to slide toward opposite ends of said chamber, said closure comprising flexible sections shapedto form a closed housing for said pen and to bend and slide toward one end of said chamber to uncover said pen, said shell and closure being provided with stops limiting the movement of said closure.

10. In a fountain pen, a barrel having an normally intimately correlated flexible secexternally threaded portion and a. neck portion of less diameter projecting therebeyond, a pen projecting from said neck portion, a shell screwed onto said threaded portion and forming a chamber between itself and said neck portion, and a closure telescopically mounted between said neck portion and shell to slide toward opposite ends of said chamber,-said closure comprising flexible sections shaped to, form a closed housing for said pen and to bend and slide toward one end of said chamber to uncover said pen, said shell, barrel and closure 'being formed to establish stops limiting the movement of said closure.

11. In a fountain pen, a barrel having a neck portion of reduced diameter, a pen projecting from said neck portion, a shell affixed to said barrel and co-acting with said neck portion to form a chamber between it self and said neck portion, and a slidable closure telescopically mounted between said neck portion and shell and having a portion continuously in said chamber, means associated with saidbarrel, shell and the portion of the closure that is continuously in said chamber to limit the'movement-of said closure, said closure having flexible sections shaped to house said pen and to be pushed into said chamber to expose the same.

12. In a fountain pen, a barrel having a neck portion of reduced diameter, a pen projecting from said neck portion, a shell rigidly combined with said barrel and forming a chamber between itself and said neck portion and a closure slidable over said neck and 100 having flexible sections shaped to house said pen and the adjacent part of said neck portion, said closure being adapted to be retracted so as to move inwardly of said chamber during which movement saidsections 105 contact with said neck portion and shell so as t6 be bent away from said pen.

7 13. In fountain pen, a barrel having a neck portion of reduced diameter, a pen projecting from said neck portion, a shell rig 11 idly comblned with said barrel and forming a chamber between itself and said neck portion, a- -closure slidable over said neck and having flexible sections shaped .to house said pen and the adjacent part of said neck portion, said closure being adapted to be retracted so as to move inwardly of said chamber during which movement said sections contact with said neck portion and shell so as to be bent away from said pen, and constricting means urging said sections into intimate relation as said sections move into a pen-housing position.

14.. A writing implement having a mark- 125 ing device, and a closure therefor comprising a portion retentively and slidably engaging said implement and normally closed separation resisting flexible petal-like sections integral with said retentive and slid 130 able portion and being adapted to bend laterally in assuming an open position.

15. A writing implement having a marking device, and a closure therefor comprising a portion retentively and slidably engaging said implement and normally closed separation resisting flexible petal-like sections integral with said retentive and slidable portion and being movable longitudinally of the implement to house and expose the marking device and flexing during such longitudinal movement.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

THEODORE D. WALKER. 

